(Sugar Grove, IL) - Waubonsee Community College's women's volleyball team waited over 15 months for this moment. Unfortunately it was probably not the experience they likely had envisioned. The Chiefs played their first home match of the season, without fans in attendance and wearing face masks due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic, fell three games to one to Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference foe McHenry County College. The Scots, perennially one of the top teams in the conference and the NJCAA's Region IV, entered the match ranked 19th nationally in the NJCAA's latest Division II poll. The Scots utilized their front line power on the way to winning by scores of 25-20, 25-17, 19-25 and 25-16. Waubonsee's last home game was on October 30, 2019 when they downed Highland Community College in the regular season finale. Coach Steve Kish's crew went on to win the Region IV title and advance to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in West Virginia.
Waubonsee (1-2) tallied the first point of the match when McHenry's opening serve failed to clear the net. The Scots briefly went ahead before Kiara McPherson recorded a block of to knot the score at 7-all. With McPherson serving Waubonsee reeled off four straight points, highlighted by a kill by her twin sister Olivia McPherson, to grab a 12-8. However, the Scots rallied and eventually took an 18-17 lead on a block by sophomore Issy Nick. McHenry then registered four straight points to secure a 24-19 lead prompting a Chiefs' timeout. Two minutes later Nick scored a kill down the left side to win the game 25-20.
In game two the Scots jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before Evelyn Martin momentarily stopped their momentum with a power kill down the right side. McHenry extended its lead to 16-6 and took a commanding 20-8 advantage minutes later. The Chiefs showed some life by scoring the next four points keyed by a kill down the left side by Olivia McPherson. The 5'5" freshman from Aurora West High School added another one of her 17 kills on the night and an ace, but it wasn't enough as the Scots finished off the 25-17 win on a perfectly placed soft tap by Lily Penza for the game point.
The Chiefs then bounced back in game three racing out to a 7-0 lead as Kiara McPherson served up a pair of aces along the way. Minutes later a long volley ended in success for Waubonsee when Maddie Mueller dumped a shot in between a pair of Scots' for a 12-6 Chiefs' advantage. McHenry chipped away at the deficit and got to within three points at 15-12 before Waubonsee pushed its lead back up to six points. A thundering spike by Claire Sweeney made it 22-16 as Waubonsee edged closer to victory. Martin then finished off the 25-19 win with a smash down the left side of the court.
McHenry began game four with a renewed energy and took an early 6-2 lead. A little while later an ace by Nick put the Scots in front 15-9 before a couple miscues by the Chiefs helped McHenry extend its lead to 19-12. A kill by Mueller off a perfect assist by Kiara McPherson allowed Waubonsee to pull within five points, but that was as close as the Chiefs would get. A lengthy volley, punctuated by a couple of great diving saves by the Chiefs, still ended in a McHenry point and a 22-15 lead. A time out by Waubonsee couldn't slow the Scots momentum as Courtney Knutson finished off the Scots' 25-16 victory with a power kill from the middle of the net.
Olivia McPherson paced Waubonsee with 17 kills and eight digs, while her twin sister Kiara McPherson finished with six aces, 34 assists, five kills and seven digs. Mueller chipped in with 10 kills and eight digs, Martin added eight kills, Sweeney registered five kills, and Lydia Sabanish contributed 16 digs in the loss. Waubonsee is action again next Thursday, February 25, when they host nationally ranked Sauk Valley Community College beginning at 6:00 p.m. (CDT). The Skyhawks (3-1) are currently ranked 15th in the latest NJCAA Division II poll. The game will be streamed live via a link on the Chiefs' website www.GoChiefs.com